I currently have the AMEX Gold also the AMEX Delta Reserve, I have been contemplating getting the AMEX platinum.
If I do that, I cannot really justify keeping the Delta reserve.
Do you think AMEX would have an issue with me downgrading the Reserve card back to just a Dleta Gold (I like the free checked bag and priorty boarding). Medallion status is not a concern of mine as much anymore like it once was.
One other concern is I am not sure if there is a cap on the SL for the Delta Gold and that could also cause an issue as my Reserve card is at 28K.
Also I have held both the gold and platinum delta cards prior to this so I am not eligible for any SUBs.
I welcome all thoughts and ideas.
If I do that, I cannot really justify keeping the Delta reserve.
Do you think AMEX would have an issue with me downgrading the Reserve card back to just a Dleta Gold (I like the free checked bag and priorty boarding). Medallion status is not a concern of mine as much anymore like it once was.
One other concern is I am not sure if there is a cap on the SL for the Delta Gold and that could also cause an issue as my Reserve card is at 28K.
Also I have held both the gold and platinum delta cards prior to this so I am not eligible for any SUBs.
I welcome all thoughts and ideas.
No lender wants you to downgrade your card ever. But will it matter much to Amex ? Doubt it.
They care more about spending $$$.
If the bonus isn’t a concern to you, or if you’ve already had the Delta Platinum. That may be a better fit then the gold card. You still get a companion ticket (main cabin) and free baggage which I personally think the value proposition is better then the Gold at $95. It’s quite easy to offset the $195 AF with just the companion ticket and then you actually get free baggage.
No cap on SL’s with Amex cards at least not at that level. There may be high end caps but I would imagine those to be 100K + if they did exist which I don’t think they do.
Delta is changing their boarding process come 2019. I don’t think much is changing based on what I’ve seen (at least for card members) some elites seem to be getting a slight downgrade in certain situations.
They care more about spending $$$.
If the bonus isn’t a concern to you, or if you’ve already had the Delta Platinum. That may be a better fit then the gold card. You still get a companion ticket (main cabin) and free baggage which I personally think the value proposition is better then the Gold at $95. It’s quite easy to offset the $195 AF with just the companion ticket and then you actually get free baggage.
No cap on SL’s with Amex cards at least not at that level. There may be high end caps but I would imagine those to be 100K + if they did exist which I don’t think they do.
Delta is changing their boarding process come 2019. I don’t think much is changing based on what I’ve seen (at least for card members) some elites seem to be getting a slight downgrade in certain situations.
@Shadowfactor wrote:
If the bonus isn’t a concern to you, or if you’ve already had the Delta Platinum. That may be a better fit then the gold card. You still get a companion ticket (main cabin) and free baggage which I personally think the value proposition is better then the Gold at $95. It’s quite easy to offset the $195 AF with just the companion ticket and then you actually get free baggage.
Not eligable for any subs, my card actually started life as gold, then platinum and finally reserve. I had forgotten that the gold did not allow for the companion ticket so the Delta platinum may actually be the better choice.
Thanks for the response.
@Anonymous wrote:How long have you had the Delta Reserve and what is your renewal month?
If you downgrade the Delta Reserve I believe you may get pro-rated fee refund.
You would also keep the account history.
Compare:
Downgrade card, get refund, keep history, no spend requirement.
vs
New card, no fee first year plus bonus.
If close I would lean towards the downgrade.
Downgrade should have no impact on credit report and less impact internally within Amex than an outright cancel.
It's been a reserve card for around 14 months, so I just payed the AF a couple of months ago. My thought has always been to downgrade, I had not considered cancelling and open a new card. Iv'e had the Delta card since 08 so it has a lot of history attached.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Totally agree that downgrading is the way to go, and Amex will have no problem with it. Sounds like you agree that Platinum is a better value proposition than Gold. Having the Amex Platinum card of course will make the Delta Reserve's Sky Club access redundant (although technically you have a few weeks left to use Sky Club with the Reserve card even if not flying on Delta). If you're not eligible for any of the SUBs, then certainly a downgrade is the right choice unless you can make use of the domestic F companion ticket, in which case it's still a great value. Amex will have no problems with the credit line or the downgrade, although they may give you a retention offwr to stay where you are. You mentioned you no longer care about Medallion status; if you do still have it, having the Reserve card does give you upgrade priority over those in the same Medallion status and fare class, so that is worth considering. You will get a prorated refund of your $450, and a prorated $95/$195 AF for the Gold or Platinum card.
If I were you I would downgrade the delta reserve card (as long as you had it for a year) to the free blue delta card.
Apply for the platinum and then use the travel credit for platinum or your gold card to offset the baggage fees and save yourself $95 annual fee on gold.
